News Staffers say they were forced to take action after negotiations for a new contract remained stalled for nearly two years. Workers at the American Folk Art Museum rally outside the institution's annual gala at the Mandarin Oriental in Manhattan on May 6, 2026. (all photos Aaron Short/ Hyperallergic ) These folk want a fair contract. Workers at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City joined three dozen UAW Local 2110 organizers to picket the museum’s annual gala at the Mandarin Oriental in Columbus Circle on Wednesday night, May 6, demanding higher wages and better benefits. Union members marched in front of the Upper West Side luxury hotel for two hours, holding signs that read, “For Folk’s Sake” and “Self Taught, Not Self Funded” while chanting, “What’s disgusting? Union busting! What’s outrageous? Poverty wages!” Staffers say they were forced to take action after negotiations for a new contract remained stalled for nearly two years.…